Kevin Hooper, formerly IBM’s vice president of worldwide business partner strategy, will join Hewlett-Packard as general manager for Americas commercial SMB, according to HP.
Sources said that Hooper will work with HP’s Technology Solutions Group Americas, which focuses on the direct sales channel, but will also work closely with solution providers that partner with TSG.
Neither Hooper nor HP executives would comment on the appointment, but Hooper said more details would be available next week.
Previously, Hooper was vice president of worldwide business partner strategy, sales and distribution for IBM, and held a position as worldwide director of channel marketing for IBM Global Services.
The move comes shortly after HP’s former channel marketing manager for worldwide Partner Organizations, Louise Bishop, left HP to join IBM’s global business partner organization, and underscores HP and IBM’s push to capitalize on the SMB market as the companies’ large enterprise business slows down, analysts say.